More power doesn't mean that you have to listen to it louder!

I have a power 2-channel rack mount amplifier at home, a Halfer DH-500. It can run continuously at 255w/ch into 8 ohms at less than 0.025% THD, while typical THD is 1/10th that at 255w. Headroom is outstanding, transients up over 400w/ch for sustained peaks.

Using this with bookshelf speakers makes the sound crisp and tight and NEVER muddy. I use a dedicated powered subwoofer to bring up the bass. And with these bookshelves, I'll never run it at 255w/ch continuous, but you need the power to have crisp transients in your music.

 

Speaker cabinets are designed specifically for the speakers they use. Just slapping in a sub into any old cabinet is NOT going to provide a flat response curve.

If you are just looking for SPL, then sure, whatever. Otherwise you better match your cabinet to your subwoofers if you want it to sound RIGHT, not just THUMP.

 

what?

i guess that is why ill just stick with the factory setup because i have no idea what all you audiophiles are talking about.

the only upgrade i need is sirius.

 

This is the best in the biz.Click Here

 

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I disagree. I don't think Rockford makes the best amps. They are nice but Kicker beats them hands down.

 

I've found one of my own kind! and you even get bonus coolpoints for audioslave!
totally off topic, I know, but one of my dreams would be to drive a black boss 9 out in arizona wide open down one of those nice highways with "set it off" going at full blast.
woooo

 

www.bcae1.com/speaker.htm

FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW A SPEAKER WORKS GO TO THIS SITE

 

oh, and i would choose kicker components over rockfrod anyday.
I jsut got done putting a stereo in my pops truck, and it sounds amazing. Not too expensive-2 sonly xplod 3 way 6X9's, 2 sony xplod 3 way 5 1/4's, and a JVC head unit. I made a custon box, specially designed for the truck, made it SOOOO air tight you woulndnt believe, and best of all, matched it to the speakers capability. The stereo only cost me in total 300 to 400 bucks, CANADIAN MIND YOu, and it sounds great. If you arent going heavy in to sound, yet want something with a little umph, and clear, go with someting like this. I have more bass coming out of that boxed set of 6X9's, then i have heard subs produce.

 

my buddy's car just had a cmopetition series system put in-2 12" cerwi vaga subs, 4 mids, 4 tweets, 4 crossovers, and two massive amps. A head unit made byalpine which cost him 500 bucks. Now that system is amazing.
The system in my dads truck is fine, and it sounds really clear, you have to know the limits of something. The limit of the shaker 1000 just happens to be higher than that of the 500. The 1000 will sound better, the 500 will cost less. It is up to you.

 

There is way more out there than JL, Kicker and Cerwin Vega. I will give you that the JL W7's are among the best subs money can buy, but it will take alot of money to buy them. They are twice the price of similar/better quality subs from Adire or RE. JL amps are very nice, but again, there are better products out there. If you are going to buy a brand new Mustang, why would you throw JVC, Rockford, or Cerwin Vega products in it? Car audio is way more complicated than home audio. It takes way more wattage, time and aggrivation to get a car to sound decent, and even then it still cannot compare to even a modest home setup.

The best advice to anyone going with an aftermarket system is to do some research, buy online, and do the install yourself. If you walk into a shop with a brand new car and no clue, you will get raped.

 

And what experience do you have in the car audio industry? I have over 16 years and completely disagree with your statement of "Car audio is way more complicated than home audio. It takes way more wattage, time and aggrivation to get a car to sound decent, and even then it still cannot compare to even a modest home setup. ". Car and home audio is as complicated as you want it to be. People just tend to spend more time and money on their cars. Why? How many people do you have lining up at your house to hear your home stereo? There is no aggrevation in car audio, unless you have no clue what you are doing, then you shouldn't be doing it at all.

So you are trying to compare JL subs to what I call cheaper subs. You have to look at the track record meaning warranty, reliability and just how much SPL you can get without distortion.

I have installed systems with as little as 300 watts of power that have won stereo competitions (on sound quality not SPL) and have won SPL competitions several times.

I will be putting 2 JL 15W6's (yes they are 5 years old and still kick butt) in my stang with a Kicker amp. 1000 watts to those subs will be nice. I will also replace the factory amps and headunits. The speakers that are already in the stang do not need replacing. The sound quality is very good. I will install an EQ so I can tweak them a little bit. If I get back into sound quality competitions I might have to replace them, but for 95% of the people out there I'd bet they would have no idea they were factory.

 

So you've been in the industry 16 years and will dispute the fact that home setups 99% of the time use less wattage, sound better and are easier to tune? You are out of your mind if you will argue that its equally easy to aim and tune a pair of component speakers in a car as it is to aim and tune a pair of bookshelf or tower speakers in a room.

I won't argue with you that you've won SQ comps with your Kicker amps, but how many years ago was that? The brands are changing, sir and I beleive you're "16 years in the business" are a detriment to your expertise in this case. BTW...SPL and SQ are not as intricately linked as you argue. More SPL without distortion will not ALWAYS mean better sound quality. Cabinet design is going to matter the most in the SQ or the SPL of your subs. I don't care how loud something can get without distorting, if it doesn't have a flat BL(because of enclosure design or other factor), its going to be boomy and not sound good.

I don't have 16 years, but I'm no noob to the industry either. My last car's system consisted of a Clarion HX-D10 head unit tone bypassed to two JL amps(300/4 and 500/1) driving a pair of MB Quart 6.5" Q series components and two CDT minibox 10" subs. No EQ, stock mounting locations.

 

MB Quarts. Man those sound nice. Anyway, Ya brands are changing but I installed new Kicker amps just last summer, so it is not like it was a decade ago that I stopped doing this stuff. Yes I agree, more SPL without distortion does not always mean better sound. The argument was "Car audio is way more complicated than home audio. It takes way more wattage, time and aggrivation to get a car to sound decent, and even then it still cannot compare to even a modest home setup. "

It is not way more complicated. Does it take more wattage...depends on what you are doing. Are you added 2 15" subs to a 1000 watt amp, then look at a home system. Each 15" sub I have for my home stereo has a 500 watt amp to it. I have the same, if not more total wattage in my home stereo than I do my car.

 

This is my first post, but my father just purchased an 05 GT Premium (Torch Red w/Charcoal int. IUP and the works minus Shaker 1000). And before I say anything else, there is no comparison between the Mach 460 and the Shaker 500, the Shaker is so much better in every respect. javascript:emoticon('')
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The Major diference you will find is that a speaker typically is limited to the frequency range it can effectively play with out distorting. On average, a larger speaker will be able to play lower frequencies more effectively (sounds better) than a smaller one. Also the more you seperate the frequencies amoung spearker sizes the better each respective speaker will sound as you are not asking it to play something it's not good at. Therefore, the Shaker 1000 will sound better overall at most or all volumes than the 500 as its speakers and amps are working more efficiently. This also allows you to turn it up louder because it distorts less.

However, I agree with many of you who say that a good aftermarket system will always be better than factory. Also beware to anyone planning to go aftermarket expect to change everything (receiver, speakers, amps, the works) as Ford has a habit of using DSP and Other Things within the amps and stereo and using low impedance speakers to make their amps more efficient which causes havok when only trying to change one component.

 

Can anyone tell me where the amps are located in the shaker 1000? I understand that there are 2 amps for the subs in the trunk, are those internal or external? Thanks

 

I believe everthing is mounted inside that single enclosure which occupies the right 1/3 of the trunk.

 

Hello from Iraq. First post here. I had to remark on this topic. After reading the write-up on the Shaker 500 & 1000 systems from the manufacturer that someone posted (I found the link somewhere in here), I determined the only difference between the two is the addition of the subwoofers and their amplifiers. As for me, I cancelled my order for the 1000 system and kept the 500, used the extra money to purchase a 7 year extended warranty and will buy an Infinity Basslink powered sub (pictured) for around $300 from Crutchfield. It just doesn't seem worth the extra money to me.

It is great to have found this website and forum. I love it. You guys are already answering my questions prior to me getting the car I ordered. Too bad I can't pick it up until I return to the US in June. Can't wait for that first drive!

 

There are 4 amps for the trunk sub enclosure, and they are mounted behind the enclosure on a bracket. It is a really nice setup, and I like it. If only my Shaker 1000 head unit hadn't stopped playing CD's...

-Andy

 

Got my car with the Shaker 1000 upgrade. Do I regret getting it, heck no. It sounds awesome. No point in replacing it that is for sure, well the head unit stinks. It plays a cd, then says it's bad and ejects it. I put it back in and it plays it again.

Anyway, I know a lot of people are talking about going aftermarket and that is fine as that is what I have always done but this time I didn't want to waste my time messing around and ending up with a box that takes too much room. There is still lots of trunk room with the 2 subs installed in the back.

My HUGE complaint is with FORD. Anyone that gets the 1000 system should get some sort of Dynomat installed for free. There are more rattles in the back of the car than I had expected. I also have rattles from the interior plastic components, drivers side A pilar is the worst. I will be stripping everything out in the summer and dynomatting everything